


Down the well

by crm



Category: Chalet School - Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Fluff, Rescue, Rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-26 12:57:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3851812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crm/pseuds/crm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lifted from the incident in 'Shocks', in which Evvy rescues Peggy from the well. Way too slashy to not exploit! Bolded bits taken directly from 'Shocks'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Miss Burnett uttered an exclamation and ploughed over the bed to the rescue, shouting, 'Stand still, you little featherhead! I'll free you in a moment.' She was almost on top of some Madonna lilies and, to avoid them, she took a leap over them and - vanished into the earth with a startled yell.  
  
'It - it must have been an - an earthquake!' quavered Emerence who had once spent a summer holiday in the thermal regions of New Zealand.   
   
'Don't talk nonsense, whoever that is!' came in sepulchral tones from the ground, causing them all to take a backward leap with wild shrieks. 'It's some sort of old pit or well that has been filled in and the heavy rain has loosened the earth and my jumping on it has caused the whole thing to subside. That's all it is. Now one of you go and find Miss Everett and ask her to come here. And the rest of you don't dare to come within a yard of the place. You're sending mud and weeds right down on top of me.'   
  
** Peggy leaned against the wall and waited, tried to keep track of time: _now they will be rushing over to find Everett, now they will be explaining to her what has happened, now she will be on her way..._  
  
**'Are you all right, Burnett?'** came the familiar brisk tones, their usual vigour somewhat diminished by a note of worry.  
  
Far below, Peggy gave a faint smile of relief. **'Well, I'm not exactly comfortable. I rather think I've ricked an ankle and it's damp and chilly down here, but I'm neither killed nor seriously injured as your voice seems to imply. I shan't be sorry to get out, though. There's a tiny oozing of water coming from just below me, so I gather I've fallen into an old well that's been filled up some time and the spring, or whatever it is, is beginning to function again.'  
   
'I've sent for ropes, ladders, Griffith and Jenks, so we'll soon have you out of that.'  
**  
Of course, thought Peggy. Of course, _that_ was why I sent for Everett. Because she's nearby, and she's endlessly practical like that. That was the reason - the _only_ reason. **'I'm glad to hear it,'** Peggy called back, as cheerfully as she could manage; her ankle really was quite painful.   
   
 **'I've sent to Matron, too, so she'll be ready to fix your ankle as soon as we can get you out - and that won't be long now,' she added. 'Here come the men and the apple-ladder.'  
**    
Peggy watched and waited as first the ladder descended, then Everett - firm and swift and practically radiating hale-and-heartiness, in her usual breeches and boots. Peggy suddenly felt slightly breathless.  
  
It was not long before Everett had drawn level with her - or as close to level as was likely: Everett stood at least a foot taller than Peggy on flat ground, and now was still balanced on the bottom rung of the ladder, space in the small pit being at something of a premium. Peggy flushed.  
  
**'Well, we must get you out of this,'** Everett said briskly, propping herself up with one hand on the wall as she surveyed Peggy looking very white in the dim twilight of the well. **'Let me see what I can do about that ankle. It's somewhat difficult, considering the restricted space.'  
**    
In spite of the sharp pain emanating from her ankle, Peggy felt a sudden powerful urge to pull the other woman to her, to lean for a moment against the cool, damp mud wall of the pit with the full length of Everett's sturdy physique pressed against her.  
  
**'It's rather painful,' Peggy Burnett said faintly.**  
  
'I'll strap it up with my hanky,' Miss Everett replied, pulling an enormous bandana like a small table-cloth from her breeches' pocket. 'Then I'll go up again and Griffiths and Jenks can come down and carry you up. Now don't begin fainting about here, please. There just isn't time or room for it.'  
  
'As if I'd be such a goop as to faint!' Miss Burnett retorted indignantly. 'I must say, Everett, you're a complete mutt if - Ow!' For Miss Everett had taken advantage of her annoyance to draw the twisted foot from under her and the pain had been excruciating for the moment.  
  
Everett straightened up again and their eyes met silently. Peggy's heart thumped loudly in her chest and she glanced away. Then, all too quickly, Everett was gone again, flying away up the ladder to where a small crowd waited anxiously.  
   
The pain and shock of the experience struck Peggy properly as Griffiths carried her weightlessly up the ladder into fresh air and daylight, and finally she lost consciousness. Settled onto the stretcher and brought round with the help of a stiff dose of Matey's brandy, she looked down and permitted herself a brief frisson of pleasure at the sight of Everett's great hanky tied adroitly around her bare skin.  
   
Sighing inwardly, Peggy put a stern stop to such thoughts and lay back as the girls bore her off to San. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Verity-Anne, farthest away from the hole, went scudding off to the rock garden where she found Miss Everett, helped by some of the Fifth, busily cutting down hollyhocks and delphiniums.**

**'Please, Miss Everett, come at once!' she panted. 'Miss Burnett has fallen into the pit!'**

**'What?' Miss Everett straightened up and stared, as well she might at this highly dramatic statement.**

**'The pit - Miss Burnett's fallen into it and she sent me for you!'**

**'What pit?' Miss Everett demanded, wondering if this were a misguided attempt at humour on the part of Verity-Anne, though why she should have suspected that rather humourless young lady of such a thing, it is hard to say.**

**'The one in our garden bed - just beside the roses. Mary-Lou got caught in the thorns and Miss Burnett ran to help her, and she jumped and then she - she just vanished and she says it's a pit and we were to fetch you.' Verity-Anne put things into a nutshell.**

**Miss Everett glanced round her own helpers who were standing listening open-mouthed to this story. 'Katharine, Blossom and Hilary, run to the glasshouses and bring Griffiths. You can tell him what has happened. Lala Winterton, you go to the gym and bring me some of the ropes. You go with her, Meg. Elinor, Hilda and Amy, you go and find Jenks - I think he's at work in the orchard - and ask him to bring the longest apple-ladder. Move, all of you! - Oh, Betsy Lucy, you run and find Matron. Take Verity-Anne with you to tell her what has happened. Miss Burnett may have hurt herself, so Matron had better be prepared. And that reminds me, some of you Rangers had better go and bring one of your First Aid stretchers in case she's sprained her ankle and can't walk. The rest come with me.'**

**Miss Everett tore over the ground at top speed, rather nervous about what she might find at the scene of the accident.** _Burnett._ **She arrived at the great square bed to find the younger girls huddled at a little distance from its centre and all looking scared out of their wits.**

**'Come off that bed at once and all of you keep on the path!' she ordered.**

**The frightened Middles did as they were told while she herself, picking her way cautiously, reached the great hole she could see in front of the rose bushes. Arrived there, she knelt down.**

**'Are you all right, Burnett?' she demanded, forgetting her audience in the exigency of the moment.**

**Greatly to her relief,** Peggy Burnett's voice, sweet and cheerful, drifted up to her in reply: **'Well, I'm not exactly comfortable. I rather think I've ricked an ankle and it's damp and chilly down here, but I'm neither killed nor seriously injured as your voice seems to imply. I shan't be sorry to get out, though. There's a tiny oozing of water coming from just below me, so I gather I've fallen into an old well that's been filled up some time and the spring, or whatever it is, is beginning to function again.'**

**'I've sent for ropes, ladders, Griffith and Jenks, so we'll soon have you out of that.'**

**'I'm glad to hear it,' Peggy Burnett's voice was still cheerful but rather faint, and Miss Everett guessed that her ankle was hurting her pretty badly.** Oh, _Burnett!_ Where were those men with the ladder?

Griffiths and Jenks arrived shortly thereafter. The capable head gardener **roped the ladder and then, with the help of Jenks, carefully lowered it. Once it was in position, Miss Everett went down it to find Miss Burnett, looking very white in the dim twilight of the well, leaning up against the wall with one foot doubled under her. There was a small puddle beneath her and when Miss Everett set her hand against the wall, she could feel drops slowly forming and oozing down.** She took in the dishevelled hair, the loose soil scattered carelessly across Burnett's face and arms, the pale face betraying pain and relief in equal measure - and that ever-present resolute cheerfulness: characteristically, the younger woman valiantly was refusing to let this unfortunate incident get her down.

In spite of the potentially crass circumstances, Rhyll felt a sudden powerful urge to wrap her arms around her, to lean Burnett against the cool, damp mud walls and feel that woman's slight frame pressed against her own.

**'It's rather painful,' Peggy Burnett said faintly.**

**'I'll strap it up with my hanky,' Miss Everett replied, pulling an enormous bandana like a small table-cloth from her breeches' pocket. 'Then I'll go up again and Griffiths and Jenks can come down and carry you up. Now don't begin fainting about here, please. There just isn't time or room for it.'**

**'As if I'd be such a goop as to faint!' Miss Burnett retorted indignantly. 'I must say, Everett, you're a complete mutt if - Ow!' For Miss Everett had taken advantage of her annoyance to draw the twisted foot from under her and the pain had been excruciating for the moment.**

Rhyll straightened up again and their eyes met silently. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest and again she resisted the urge to reach forward and brush the soil gently from Burnett's hair, to softly wipe the dirt from her lovely face with hands that trembled slightly to think of it. **Miss Everett hurried up the ladder and spoke a few words to Griffiths.**

**He nodded when he heard of the water. 'I'll go down, Miss. Jenks and you can steady the ladder. It'll be safer with one and she's small-like and I can handle her. I'm a fireman voluntary aid in me off time,' he added with pride. 'I knows the drill as you might say.'**

It seemed an eternity until Griffiths finally resurfaced, Burnett slung small and semi-conscious across his shoulder. Rhyll helped lift her down onto the stretcher and watched anxiously as Matey administered a little brandy.

As her colleague came round, looking slightly better for the fresh air and the brandy, Rhyll permitted herself a brief frisson of pleasure at the sight of the dainty ankle wrapped carefully in her hanky.

Sighing inwardly, she put a stern stop to such thoughts and returned to her own work.

 


End file.
